Initiation
by Shadow-Phoenix-Rider
Summary: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." Or in Akeelah Shepard's case, one fateful posting aboard a new ship that will soon turn her understanding of the galaxy upside down. Chapter 3 "Before the Storm": Things have gotten...complicated. Shepard is used to missions with sparse intel, but she's not expecting the unknown right under her nose...
1. Prologue

_The Normandy is a beautiful ship. _Akeelah Shepard thought to herself, perched on a large bay window's ledge, the frigate docked in all her pride and glory. She reminded her of the old 20th century jet the Concorde, what with Normandy's curving 'neck' and the sleekness of her form, with the wings in a similar formation to the jet's 'delta' shape. However, she could see the influences the turians had on the design, and she had to admit, she rather liked it.

_And I'm serving on her. _Shepard smiled. It was a great honour, to be picked to serve on the prototype ship, but she did think it had something to do with the five lettered planet on her dossier. Akuze.

Her smile evaporated, and she rubbed at the scar on her dark tan skinned face. It stretched across her face, below her spring green eyes and above her mouth, slicing her nose almost in two. It had only been six years since that awful night, but its phantoms still followed her. At least something good had come out of it; she'd been recommended for the elite N training program, which had helped her move on, eventually coming out the other end with the N7 designation right by her class. N7 Soldier.

Shepard frowned slightly, combing a hand through her short golden brown hair. If she was not mistaken, the Normandy was sporting the same colours her armour did; black, white and red. Okay, there was more black and white than red, but it made her thoughtful, and she pressed her forehead to the window. A new ship, a new crew and team to get to know, and a new start.

"Shepard." A deep voice stirred her from her thoughts, and she looked over to see a man in his dress blues approaching her, a smile stretching across her face as she recognized him.

"Anderson." The soldier slipped from her perch to her feet, when suddenly she realized her mistake and clicked her heels, saluting. "I mean, 'sir'!"

Anderson chuckled warmly, brown eyes full of amusement.

"At ease, Commander. We only stand on ceremony onboard." He followed where her gaze had once been. "Been admiring the Normandy?"

"Yeah." Shepard nodded, settling into parade rest. "She's the prettiest ship I've ever seen."

"Millions of credits went into her, and your only comment is that she's pretty?" He said, a grin playing on his lips.

"I didn't say that was the only thing I like about her." Shepard replied, folding her arms. "I've been busy getting up to speed with the crew's dossiers and I haven't had time to get onboard."

"Any thoughts on the crew, XO?" He asked.

"Other than the fact I have a feeling you've been cherry-picking the best, I don't really know until I've met them."

"That's what I like about you, Shepard. Won't make a judgement until you've seen the facts yourself."

She smiled, shy in his admiration.

"Thank you, Anderson. I do have a concern, though."

He frowned slightly, his attention immediately captured and focus sharpened to a point.

"Shoot."

"I'm not sure about my XO post. I'm not complaining, I mean, I'm honoured you chose me, I just…" She couldn't look him in the eye, and instead looked towards the frigate in her cradle. "I don't know if I can be the best you expect from me."

"Shepard, I wouldn't have chosen you for the role if I didn't think you'd be good at it." She could feel his severe look on her skin, which made her want to squirm. "You'll do fine. I know you will." He gentled his voice, which made her look back up, just in time to catch a wry smile. "You managed your way through spec ops training and you're scared of being an Executive Officer on a frigate."

She couldn't help but grin back.

"A prototype frigate, co-designed by the turians and overseen by a Council Spectre." She pointed out. "You know, no pressure or anything."

"Says the woman who had to lead her team through enemy territory at night with barely any food in her system." He replied, trying not to look like he was enjoying their sparring.

"Neither of which had a different protein structure and I wasn't required to sort out rations. And information beyond 'don't go there because there are turrets'." She replied, folding her arms.

"You thrive under pressure, Shepard." Anderson said, returning to business. "You will be fine. But you need any help, you can always ask me."

"Okay." She nodded, opening her mouth to ask something else when she noticed someone approaching them, and not just anyone; a turian. _The Spectre?_

Anderson followed her gaze, noticing the soldier's subtle change in body language from relaxed to alert, in the way only a person who fought by her side and knew her could. He saw who it was and his posture changed too, the warmth between them quickly retracted and hidden. Shepard shifted into parade rest as she too sensed the change in the Captain's body language.

"Excuse me, Commander, I must see to business." He said. "You are free to board the Normandy at your discretion. Dismissed."

"Aye aye, Captain." Shepard replied, saluting Anderson easily. He gave her a nod and strolled over towards the turian.

She walked back over to the bay window, not wanting to spy on her superior officer's conversation. She mused over the Normandy again, reminding herself that she just had today and tomorrow before the ship would be released for her shakedown run. Might as well settle into the ship that would be her home for the foreseeable future and get to know it and the crew, though they probably wouldn't all assemble until tomorrow.

Shepard grabbed her kit bag from where she had left it by her perch and strolled away.

* * *

She'd not been exactly sure what to expect boarding the Normandy, but she couldn't help the swell of child-like curiosity as she stepped from the airlock onto the deck, which was slightly warmer and smelt like a new skycar, the fabric seats starchy and the metal gleaming and new, having not yet dulled with use. The computer screens were bright and crisp too, and Akeelah could not help but smell the credits that had been sunk into the frigate. It made her slightly uneasy about even standing there, but she shook it off.

The soldier took in the CIC with natural curiosity, sweeping her spring green eyes across the room. She wasn't too familiar with serving aboard starships, and especially not a human-turian hybrid like the Normandy was, so the fact the galaxy map was planted in the middle of the room, with the CO station perched just above it made little impact.

Shepard wasn't the only one who'd though to make an early start about settling in, and there were a few crew members wandering about, tinkering with their stations. They snapped off quick salutes as they saw her, their eyes showing the evidence of being starstruck. She gave them slight nods to ease them; she would get to know them later, when she'd managed to find a locker for her stuff.

Shepard padded downstairs, taking in the mess table, Anderson's quarters, the alignment of sleeping pods and the medical bay and she found herself thinking: _Bloody hell, this place is small. _She immediately chastised herself for thinking that; _you're on a warship, not a bloody cruise. _But still, cramped places made parts of her twist uneasily, old memories shifting sleepily.

She shook her head to clear it, wandering over to a row of lockers she assumed were personal ones. It only occurred to the Commander now that she maybe should have asked Anderson questions about the Normandy, rather than worry about whether she could live up to his expectations. She certainly could do the latter if she couldn't find the former, and the Captain would certainly chew her out for making such a bumbling mistake.

Shepard cast her gaze around idly, landing on a man with his back to her, who seemed to be doing a reccie of the Normandy, much like she was going to do once she got her gear squared away.

"Hey." She called out, and he turned towards her, thick eyebrows raised high in curiosity. "Look, this is a little embarrassing, but are these lockers personal lockers?"

He strode over to her, and she took that brief moment to take him in; brown eyes, black hair, a cluster of moles above his left eyebrow, square jaw, cleft chin, and she ran through the dossiers in her mind to try to match the face to selection of half-remembered names.

"Yeah, they are." His voice was soft and husky, as if someone had sanded the inside of his throat to make him rasp slightly yet not unpleasantly. "Personal items in these lockers, and gear in the lockers in the cargo hold."

"Alright. Thanks a lot." She smiled, nodding. "Sorry, I sound like a right dumbass. Not a good first impression, eh?"

"No, it's fine, ma'am." He replied, shaking his head with a sweet smile on his lips. "I must admit, I was a little lost around here too, at first." He scratched the back of his neck, amber eyes flicking over her face much like her eyes had done to his, trying to match her face to a memory.

"Yeah, I think we're all going to be fumbling around blind for a while." She chuckled. "The ship's small, though, so I reckon we'll get to know her soon and well."

One of his thick black eyebrows arched up.

"'Her', ma'am? You sound just like Joker." At her blank look he blinked widely, before hurriedly back-tracking. "I-I mean, Flight Lieutenant Moreau, ma'am."

Shepard couldn't resist a smile and the chuckle that wanted to bubble up through her, but she suppressed if for his benefit; the last thing he needed was his superior officer laughing at him for making an admittedly endearing mistake.

"Our helmsman, eh? Guess I shouldn't be surprised that he's already fallen for the ship. Anyone asked to come fly a prototype warship such as this one would be over the moon." She set her kit bag down to ease her shoulder. "I mean, I'm no pilot myself, but I've got to admit, she's beautiful."

"Yeah, she is." The unknown marine nodded. "Part of me is eager to find out what she's like in a fight."

"Hopefully it won't come to that, with the Normandy's stealth systems. But I gotta admit, I'm curious to her capabilities too." Shepard spoke, squinting slightly at the man before her, still unable to place a name to his face. "Anyway, I've kept you long enough. I'm sure you've got your duties to attend to."

"Of course, ma'am." He dipped his head in an affirmative, drawing back.

"Thanks again for your help." She said, turning to see to her kit bag.

"You're welcome, ma'am." His warm voice replied, getting quieter as he retreated.

Shepard realized she really should have asked his name.


	2. Beginnings

_Of course she was Commander Shepard, _Kaidan Alenko thought bitterly to himself. _Maybe the great big scar across her face would have given me the hint, but apparently not._

The lieutenant had only realized who the woman he'd been talking to was when they'd both parted company, after one of the marines had mentioned Shepard's scar. It was far too late to rectify his mistake by then, as the Commander had gone to set her armour in the cargo hold.

His duty as head of the marine detail had then reared its head and from then he'd been consumed in keeping tabs on the marines under his wing, and so he hadn't crossed paths with the Commander since.

Well, until now, that is. It was the day before the Normandy's maiden voyage, and everyone had finally assembled onboard to get to know one another, starting to practise the drills they hopefully wouldn't need and getting to know the new ship well.

Introductions were in order first, though, and Kaidan had done his best to get his detail up to snuff for the Captain, though the reputation of Anderson and Shepard had preceded them and done most of his work for him. No-one wanted to get dressed down not only by the renowned Captain Anderson, but the Sole Survivor of Akuze as well. There had been excited whispering about her which Kaidan had to quell, trying not to entertain those same thoughts about her.

The Akuze incident was only six years ago, and he, like everybody else, were aware of the circumstances. Contact with the pioneers lost, a squad sent in to investigate, and then the attack of the thresher maws, slaughtering everyone. Everyone except Shepard, who came limping home, covered in blood, acid and tears. The news had of course had a field day, but the Alliance had wisely kept Shepard out of the limelight, who was probably in no shape to be in the media's eye. Kaidan could sympathize.

He was stirred from his thoughts by the appearance of the said Commander into his vision.

She was slightly shorter than him, about five foot eleven, with a skin colour of terracotta, short brown hair ending just under her chin which took on a golden sheen under the lights, and small eyebrows of a similar colour. Her eyes were a light green, framed by large, dark eyelashes and a glimpse of eyeliner that made them rather arresting to his gaze. However, her long scar also demanded attention, thick and plump with scar and replaced tissue, her nose slightly misaligned because of it (the medic in Kaidan wondered if the cartilage had been broken by the strike that caused the scar). And if he looked closer, he could see a scattering of faint freckles across her face, just noticeable against her dusky skin.

Her eyes held a look of amusement within them.

"Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, I presume?" She said, a smile tugging on her lips, which sparked one of his own.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied.

"I'm not always as flaky with names, honest." A half-chuckle slipped from her lips. "Anyway Lieutenant, I'm looking forward to working with you." She offered a hand.

"Me too, Commander." He nodded, taking the proffered hand in one of his.

In the split second their skin met, the static from Kaidan's implant that had been building up leapt eagerly into Shepard, making her yelp with surprise, jerking her hand back.

Kaidan blinked, taking a moment to understand what just happened.

"Oh, sorry ma'am, I-I should have grounded myself first, I forgot-" He began, but Shepard cut him with the shake of her head, chuckling.

"No, no it's fine, I just wasn't expecting it." She looked at him again, appraising him. "You're a biotic, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." He replied, watching her carefully. This was always the part where his commanders pulled up his L2 implant. It was in his dossier, clear as day, along with many, many psych evals. He was ready for the look they would give him, like he was a time bomb, ready to go off when their back was turned. It was an inevitability of being the biotic he was.

"I thought so; only biotics have a bite in their handshakes." Shepard said, eyes shining. "What's your specialization?"

_Hang on, what? _Kaidan ended up thinking, thrown off balance by the lack of judgment and prejudice, and found himself grasping for an answer. It must have shown in his face, because the soldier elaborated;

"I've worked with biotics before, though not enough that I'm completely used to seeing what you guys can do." She tilted her head slightly, still expecting an answer.

"I'm uh, I specialized as a sentinel, ma'am." Kaidan answered. "I also did some medical training as well." Her brows rose with interest.

"So you're a combat medic too?"

"In a way, ma'am."

She smiled.

"That's great." She glanced to Anderson, who was nearby, watching them. "I should go. I'll see you around, Lieutenant."

"Aye aye, ma'am." Kaidan replied with a nod, watching her walk over to the Captain, who seemed to be hiding a smile. He said something to the Commander, but before he could see her reaction, he was distracted by someone saying;

"Wow, I can't believe that's Commander Shepard."

Kaidan turned to see Corporal Jenkins at his side, looking after the woman with his eyes almost sparkling. Bemused, Kaidan gave a quiet snort of derision.

"Why do you say that, Corporal?" He asked, making the young man jump, and looking at the Lieutenant as if he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Oh sir! I um, I mean- I don't mean any disrespect, I-" Jenkins stumbled wildly before he was halted by a wave of the biotic's hand.

"I know you didn't." He said. "I was just curious as to why you thought that."

Jenkins blinked at him.

"It's Commander Shepard. You know, the woman who was the only one off Akuze?"

"I know who she is, Corporal, I do keep up with the times."

"Yeah, but she's an N7! An N7, like, the best of the best and she's on the same crew as us! A famous N7!" Jenkins continued, half sugar-high and half increasingly bewildered by Kaidan's lack of excitement.

"She didn't become an N7 without any work." He cautioned the young man. "She deserves respect and for you not to be fawning over her."

"Oh, I totally understand, sir." Jenkins nodded vigorously. "I mean, she's like, way out of my league-", Kaidan shot him a look, "n-not that I had any intentions at all!"

"I should hope not. Need I remind you about the fraternization regs?" The lieutenant spoke coolly.

"No sir. Although I would be more worried about the Commander than the regs."

Against Kaidan's will, a smile pulled at his lips.

"Yes, I wouldn't want to mess with an N7 either." He glanced at the subject in question, who was now deep in conversation with Anderson over a datapad.

"I don't mean to be rude, but what's your opinion on her, sir?" Jenkins asked.

Kaidan's brows furrowed.

"I can't just make an on the spot judgement. I barely know her." He said.

"I know, but what does your gut say about her?" Jenkins pushed. "You've at gotta have a little bit of a feeling about her. Even like a small opinion."

"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself, Corporal?" Kaidan said, his brow raising.

"Come on, sir. I'm just curious."

"And I'm curious to know why."

"I'm just…interested." Jenkins appeared to wither under Kaidan's gaze. "Forget it, sir. Sorry." The marine moved off, tail between his legs.

Kaidan watched him go, privately glad he'd gotten the exuberant soldier to leave, as he preferred to keep his thoughts to himself.

He hadn't been completely truthful with Jenkins; it was very difficult not to form an opinion on Commander Shepard, what with the stories about her, but he'd been careful not to let them colour his first impression of her.

However, he did hold more than a little respect for the woman; who wouldn't, after what she had survived? Aside from the scar, there didn't seem to be any other outward impacts of her experience. She carried herself with confidence, without a drop of arrogance, and somehow she managed to both blend in to her surroundings and demand respect at the same time.

He hadn't recognized her when he met her on the lower deck, but Kaidan found himself liking her. She hadn't known him, but had been as warm as if they had, and that hadn't changed when they'd properly introduced themselves to one another.

And what really intrigued him was her reaction to him being a biotic. He was so used to the wary stares and hushed whispers that her even-keeled response to learning of his mutated nerves had caught him completely off guard. Instead of demanding details about his implant, she'd asked his specialization as if it was just a normal day on duty.

Against his will, he felt himself wanting to know more about the soldier, even as he chided himself for it. _She's my superior officer, she's completely off limits. Not that she'd be interested in me anyway._

Kaidan shook his head, dismissing such thoughts. He couldn't entertain them, not for a moment. Deciding he should probably find something to do to keep his mind from thinking about Shepard, he turned to go.

"Lieutenant." Anderson's voice stopped him in his tracks, and he turned to see the Captain approaching him, the Commander having vanished in the interim.

"Sir?" The older man gave him a look the biotic couldn't identify.

"You seem to have your head in the nebulae. Is there anything I should know?"

Kaidan swallowed, cursing the sensation of heat rising in his face.

"Nothing, sir. I was, uh, thinking of preparations we need to do tomorrow before Normandy leaves dock."

"The Commander and I can handle that, Lieutenant." Anderson replied.

"I didn't mean to presume anything, Captain." Kaidan said, scratching the back of his neck. "I just wanted to consider my role within those preparations."

"Of course. Do they involve the Commander, by chance?" Kaidan could have sworn Anderson's eyes were gleaming with amusement.

"No, not, not unless she wishes to involve herself within them." The biotic shifted uncomfortably.

"You should consider it, Alenko. The Commander is a very hands-on woman, and she likes to get to know her crew and the things that they do." Anderson said. "She's not your typical XO."

"No, she doesn't seem to be, sir." Anderson raised an eyebrow, prompting Kaidan to add hurriedly; "I mean, I've never encountered an officer with a record like hers."

"She is a unique woman." The Captain mused. "I have high hopes for her." His eyes bored into the younger man. "And for you too, Alenko."

"I understand, sir. I won't let you down." Kaidan nodded.

"Good. Carry on, Lieutenant." Anderson responded, walking away, leaving Kaidan more than a little concerned.

_That was…oddly specific. _He thought. _Shit, what if he thinks I have a crush on the Commander? _He rubbed his forehead. _I can't screw this up. Anderson chose me because he trusted me to be the best at the job. _

Kaidan pinched his nose, feeling a migraine start to chew on him, the slight fuzz of distortion beginning in the corner of his vision. _Just what I needed. Look, Commander Shepard is not interested in you, or anyone else on this crew. Quit it. Do your job and let her do hers. Anderson didn't choose me just to screw up because of a gorgeous woman._

_I mean pretty. I mean- oh hell._

Kaidan promptly decided to shut that line of thought down immediately, and go to that doctor (Chakwas, was it?) for something to shut his migraine down before it sunk more of its teeth into him.

He didn't notice passing Akeelah Shepard on his way down to the med bay, and that her gaze followed him until he was out of sight.


	3. Before the Storm

Something was wrong. Very wrong. Shepard could feel it deep in her gut.

And her gut was never wrong.

She'd learnt to trust it when she was still small and her only concern was where her next meal was coming from and when her foster mother's home would be available to go back to. Her mind was prejudiced, but her gut was not; it was very primal and mysteriously good at prediction. It wasn't like she was stupid, it was just in deadlocked decision, whatever feeling percolated through her body was the one she chose.

Shepard was convinced that it'd saved her on Akuze. She'd had a bad feeling, and stayed up on first watch, too jittery to sleep. Maybe that was why she survived when the maws came.

Or maybe she was just lucky. That always seemed to be a factor too.

She shook her head to clear the thoughts, and took a moment to admire the gloss on the onyx chestplate she held, with the N7 insignia stamped in the corner. This would be the first time she was going into action as an N7.

She glanced over to the two men (she assumed Jenkins was a man, but he behaved more like a boy; not that was a bad thing mind you) she was taking with her to Eden Prime. Jenkins was chattering about the mission, in tones half excited and half anxious that was typical of someone worried for their homeworld, whilst Kaidan was more focused on getting his armour on, almost as if he were in a trance. It looked like Jenkins was talking to a disinterested panther.

Shepard could relate more to Kaidan than Jenkins, buckling the chest plate onto her undersuit. Earth may be the regarded homeworld of the human race, but to Akeelah Shepard it was just a reminder of a childhood she wished she could forget. Enlisting had been her way to escape, and though she had left behind the only good thing in her life as she did so, she knew it was for the right reasons. They both did. She touched her chest, tracing a familiar pattern.

The soldier sighed and shook her head. She had to stop dwelling over those thoughts; there were other, more important things to think about. Like those vid feeds from Eden Prime; aggressive, silvery synthetics shooting anything that moved and a large, dark shape that looked just out of a nightmare. It seemed too coincidental that something would attack a peaceful human colony when the Normandy was on a mission to pick up an incredibly rare Prothean relic. But she couldn't think of who or what could be the aggressors, as they were synthetics, and the only synthetics she could think of were mechs, but they looked nothing like Eclipse mechs, so Shepard could only draw a blank, and that stirred the uncomfortable thought that something new was out there. Something new and deadly, with a very large, very creepy ship.

"So, who am I working with?" Shepard spoke, breaking through Jenkins' chatter and Kaidan's trance, causing both men to look at her. "I know you're a sentinel, Lieutenant, but I don't think I got your class, Corporal."

"I'm, I'm a soldier like you, ma'am!" Jenkins replied excitedly. "Not, not as good as you, of course." Just out of the corner of her eye, Shepard spotted Kaidan rolling his eyes, and giving the younger man a patient look.

"We're not here to hero-worship, Jenkins." Kaidan reminded him, but Shepard waved him off.

"It's alright, Lieutenant." She said.

Another soldier and a sentinel. Shepard knew her strengths were in her diverse weaponry experience and her heavy armour, allowing her to take up the enemies' attention with her endurance. As an N7 she was several levels higher than Jenkins, who despite being the same class was not likely to have the experience she had. It would be best to have him more as a scout; he could move quicker and flank their opponents whilst she kept their attention. That way the kid could have his action and gain experience in a way that wouldn't endanger him too much.

That left Alenko as support. Although she was aware of sentinels and their usual choice of tactics, this was her first time working with one in the field; most of the biotics she had trained with were adepts, just to introduce her to their abilities and such. Commanding them was another matter. However, she had a good feeling about the Lieutenant, though she had one thing she wanted to clear up, first.

"Alenko, clear me up on this. You sentinels are tech focused, aren't you?"

"Yes, Commander, that's correct" Kaidan nodded.

_Excellent._ _He has the technical expertise that both me and Jenkins lack. If we need someone to hack systems or bypass doors, he's our guy. Good. I don't like to kick in doors when we can just sneak in. _Shepard thought to herself.

_But considering the terrain, we will probably need his biotic abilities more than his technical skills…unless the beacon was moved. _She ran a hand through her hair as she walked over to the weapon lockers. _I wish I had more info. Bloody hell._

It was about the time Akeelah wished she didn't know she was going to be observed by a turian Spectre. She always brought her top performance to every mission, but an observer might not think that. Especially if that observer was a turian, and Shepard heard many stories about how straight-laced they were. So a Spectre? _What have I gotten myself into?_

The soldier opened the weapons locker, looking over the selection of weapons available. Her training allowed her to use anything in this locker, from humble pistols to the powerful sniper rifle, though right now it was folded up and gave no indication of its true length. Although she preferred to forgo the shotgun (a messy weapon that she had a bad experience with long ago), she accepted that with the field of unknowns before her, flexibility would be safer.

After she locked her weapons into place on her armour, she shook her body vigorously to make sure they would stay in place if she had to make rapid evasive manoeuvres. The clattering of the guns shifting in their locks caused the two men to look at her in surprise. She gave them a look that silenced any questioning, though the Lieutenant's eyebrow arched at her, and she narrowed her eyes at him, not unkindly.

"Lieutenant." She spoke, an undercurrent of challenge to her tone. "You seem to be just using a pistol. You not using a rifle too?"

"No, ma'am." He replied. "Never trained in them. Not standard in sentinel training."

"Really?" Shepard pursed her lips. "Huh. Seems strange to only use a pistol." She shrugged. "Ignore me. I've lived and breathed assault rifles as soon as I was bundled into training."

"Size isn't everything, Commander." Kaidan spoke smoothly. "Just because you use a big gun doesn't mean you can hit things with it."

Akeelah gave him a look that only just masked her shock, and Jenkins audibly gasped. Infuriatingly, the biotic didn't seem the less bit perturbed that he'd just ruffled his XO's feathers. In fact, he seemed faintly amused.

"Excuse me, _Lieutenant_." She enunciated his rank with a tone that instantly caused his back to straighten. "Are you questioning my accuracy with my firearms?"

"No, ma'am." He answered. "I was pointing out that whilst the rifle is larger and has more power to its shot, my accuracy with it would be vastly reduced due to my lack of experience with it. I have trained with a pistol, and therefore my accuracy would be greater with that weapon."

Akeelah's eyes narrowed at the sentinel, and she took a moment to digest the response. So, the Staff Lieutenant had teeth. A flash of heat gripped her with this revelation, but she quickly hit the brakes with it; that was fraternization, pure and simple, and they'd barely started their tour! _Down girl. He's probably just messing. I like him already, though._

"Point taken, Lieutenant." She folded her arms. "I'm glad to see you weren't blundering into the obvious trap."

Jenkins was watching this with rapt, almost slack jawed attention.

"Of course not, Commander. I would not pit myself against an N7." The biotic replied, amusement still dancing in his eyes.

"Good." She eyed the younger man. "Always choose your battles wisely, Corporal. At best, you end up on your arse with a black eye and sitting on your pride. I'm sure you can guess to the worst. Unfortunately we don't get that luxury for this mission, so listen up."

The two men stood to attention.

"Alenko, you're with me. I will need your biotic and tech skills to augment with mine. Shoot to defend yourself, but do not draw attention; that's what I'm for."

The sentinel raised an eyebrow but said nothing more than;

"Aye aye, ma'am."

"Good. Jenkins. We may be singing from the same sheet but you are not indestructible. You will be our scout; your job is to stay on your toes and mobile, and flank our opponents. You know this planet better than we do, so feel free to relay information and advice to us. As with Alenko you may engage but remember who has the heavier armour. Let them concentrate on me whilst you harass them from the side. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" Jenkins replied cheerily.

"Good." The sound of the elevator drew her attention away from her squad, and a quick glance informed her that Captain Anderson and Nihlus were approaching. "Let's make the Normandy's first mission her first success, shall we?"

"Aye aye, Commander!" They replied, and with a satisfied nod, she turned to face the approaching CO and Spectre, mirroring her squad's stance.

There was a slight smile on Anderson's face, and he nodded slightly in acknowledgement, but that was all. Nihlus was watching her intently, as if trying to scope out the slightest weakness in her. The temptation to straighten her back further was overwhelming, but she resisted it; she wasn't going to let herself be intimidated, and certainly not in front of her new squad.

Akeelah vowed she would make this mission succeed, and she would prove herself, no matter what…

* * *

**Author's notes: **This chapter is mainly to display how Akeelah Shepard thinks and plans, as well as flesh out parts of her backstory for later. As you have noticed, I'm not writing the many 'recognizable' scenes; I felt they've been done to death, and it would be better to write in the spaces between them, to allow character development.

However, I will be doing some 'famous' scenes, but with my own twists, to keep it interesting and in character for Akeelah.


End file.
